A Hackney primary school has been left like a "ghost town" as parents are being priced out of the east London area, its headteacher has said.
Just 120 pupils remain at Randal Cremer Primary School despite the school having space for around 350 pupils.
Headteacher Jo Riley has told the Standard the number of students at the school has been dropping since 2015. Parents unable to afford living in London has been a "huge factor" in the declining school numbers.
The school is one of four Hackney primary schools that will close in September 2024 "due to significant decline in the number of school-aged children", the council has said.
London’s housing crisis, Brexit and the pandemic have all been given as reasons for families leaving the capital.
Ms Riley told the Standard: "The birth rate has really dropped significantly in London and not just London, in lots of cities.
"I think part of that is youngsters can either afford a one bedroom flat or they stay living with mum and dad until they are a lot older, so people aren't having children like they used to do.
"An average two bedroom flat in Hackney is now £2600 just to rent and then if you're on benefits, the most they'll pay in housing benefit is something like £1700.
"If two professionals decide to rent a two bedroom flat between them they can probably afford the rent but it's just really, really difficult for families in London," she added.
Around 150 children have left the school since March when the council first told parents about proposals to shut its doors and some 50 staff members at the school will have to find new jobs due to the closure.
The headteacher said some parents at the school feel "whitewashed out of Hackney" and that an "element of class" has been deciding where some parents decide to send their children to school.
She said: "I genuinely have had parents come to have a look around and say to me, I really love the ethos Jo, but my children won't play with those children, which is really hard to hear.
"I honestly do think there's an element of class in there because my kids are often from hardworking but struggling families. It’s hard to pinpoint."
Ms Riley said parents at the state school now joke it feels like "a really top private school because there are 12 children in a class and a teacher and teaching assistant".
The headteacher said: "The children are getting a great deal at the moment but when they do move they are (going to struggle) to adjust back into very busy, full classrooms again," she explained.
"It does feel a bit like a ghost town in the mornings, but it doesn't yet feel like it's a very sad, empty school."
The school plans to merge some classes next year to help the pupils get used to being in larger classes again.
Hackney Council said in a statement about the school closures on Tuesday: "There are simply not enough children in the borough and neighbouring areas seeking places at Hackney primary schools, and this is forecast to remain a problem in the following years."
A recent assessment found the number of families and children in Hackney is not meant to change until 2039.
There are currently more than 600 empty places in reception classes alone in Hackney schools.
De Beauvoir Primary School will also close in September 2024, while Colvestone Primary School will merge with Princess May Primary School.
Colvestone pupils will have the option to move to Princess May school.
